Condenser.



CONDENSE APPLICATION FILED .05 1915.

Patented Jul 917.;

' a sums- H. c. HEATON.

CONDENSER.

APPLICATION FILED OCT. 20.1915.

Patented July 3 m7 3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

INVENTOR H. c. HEATON. CONDENSER.

KPPLlCA'i'lON FILED OCT. 20. I935- Patented J My 3, 1917,

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3- lqlllgg liennu oonnnnsnn.

nasasoi.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, HERMAN C. Hermon," a citizen of the United States, residing at Berwyn, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented an Improvement in Condensers, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to condensers and particularly to surface condensers employed in steam condensing plants.

Heretofore, as commonly constructed, these surface condensers comprised a shell in which banks of tubes are placed, together with water boxes, in one of which there is an inlet connection and also an outlet connection, in order that the circulating water may be forced into and through the tubes, preferably passing through the lower banks of tubes in one direction and through the other bank of tubes in the opposite direction, in order to condense thesteam which comes into contact with the outer surface of the tubes, upon being admitted to the interior of the condenser shell.

In this type of condenser, as thus constructed, it is necessary, in cleaning the tubes, to remove the condenser entirely from the service and the object of my invention is the provision of a surface condenser in which the water boxes are so constructed that any predetermined bank or banks of tubes may be shut ofi so that the tubes may be cleaned or any tube or tubes temporarily plugged, and other repairs made without taking the condenser out of service.

In the condenser made in accordance with my invention, the water box at the front end is divided into a plurality of compartments, arranged in pairs and each compartment of every pair provided with means at the inlet or outlet side thereof for shutting 0d the circulating water, and at the opposite or rear end of the condenser I provide awater box divided into compartments each of which corresponds with a pair of com- 'partments in the water box at the head of the condenser so that the covers provided for each pair of compartments in the water box at the head of the condenser may be removed after the circulating water has been shut ofi? from these compartments in order that the tubes in the corresponding banks thereof may be cleaned or repaired as may be necessary.

In the drawing, Figure 1 is an end elevation and partial cross section of the front Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed October 20, 1915. Serial No. 56,821.

Fig. 3, is an end elevation and partial cross section similar to Fig. 1, showing the water box at the rear end. of the condenser.

Referring tothe drawing, the condenser made in accordance with this invention comprises a shell 10, of any desired configuration, as isusual in surface condensers. This shell, at its opposite ends, one of which is shown in the drawing, is provided with flanges 11, adapted to abut against tube plates 12. Connected in and extending be tween the same and through the shell or body of the condenser there are banks of tubes 13. 14 designates the water box at the front end of the condenser.

with a boss 15, corresponding in width with the width of the flange 11, and also adapted to abut against the adjacent tube plate 12, on the opposite side thereof, as clearly shown in Fig. 2, these parts of the con denser being connected by bolts, or otherwise, with intervening gaskets, as is customary.

At one side, the water box 14 is provided with .an inlet 16 for the circulating Water, and at the opposite side, with an outlet 17 for the circulating water.

Centrally the water box is provided with a partition wall 18 extending entirely across the condenser, and extending from which, in suitable positions, there are partition walls 19 dividing the interior of the water box between the inlet and outlet connections into a plurality of compartments 20,

nected to the outer side of the water box covers with intervening gaskets so as to make water tight joints.

At the inlet and also at the outlet endof each of these compartments in the water box, the same is provided with a device to shut off the circulating water, and inasmuch as the devices employed for each compartment of the water box is the same but one of these placed to move between the flange 23 and the slide plate 24, each gate valve being provided on its outer side with longitudinal ribs 26 and a cross rib 27 Exteriorly, the water box, both at the inlet and outlet sides thereof, is provided with apertured bosses 28, corresponding in numher to the number of compartments into head of the condenser.

apartments 34 is provided with a cover plate which the interior of the water box is divided. Secured to and extending from each apertured boss 28 is a valve sleeve 29, and secured at the outer end of the valve sleeve is a stufling box 30.

Each gate valve 25 is provided with a valve rod or stem 31, screw threaded at its inner end and adapted to pass through a tapped opening in the rib 27 in the gate valve with which the rod is employed. The rod also extends through the corresponding valve sleeve 29, and through its stuffing box 30, and at its outer end is provided with a hand wheel 32, by which, as will be understood, the rod may be turned to move the gate valve 25 to or from the position shown in Fig. 2. Any suitable indicator may be employed with each valve to show its exact position.

It will be understood that the position of the valve, as shown in Fig. 2, is the same as that in which the corresponding compartment is shut OK, that is to say, the position in which the circulating water is not permitted to flow through the bank of tubes corresponding to this compartment, and the dotted line position wherein the gate valve lies within the sleeve 29 and the apertured boss 28, is the position in which the circulating water is permitted to flow through its bank of tubes.

Referring to Fig. 3, it will be seen that the water box applied at the rear end of the condenser is provided with partitions 33 dividing the same into compartments 34, each of which corresponds to a pair of the compartments 20 in the water box at the 35 in which there are also hand holes provided with hand hole covers 36 similar to the corresponding parts inthe cover plates Each of the com of compartments, in the water box at the head of the condenser, the circulating water is shut off from these compartments, the cor responding compartment in the water box at the rear of the condenser and the banks of tubes corresponding with these compartments so that these banks of tubes or any of the tubes therein may be cleaned or temporarily plugged without taking the condenser out of service.

I claim as my invention.

1. A condenser comprising a shell inclosing a unitary compartment, a tube plate at each end of said shell, tubes extending through said compartment and secured in said tube plates,'a water box secured to the tube plate at one end of said shell, partition walls dividing said water box into pairs of compartments, a coverplate for each pair of said water box compartments, a water box at the other end of the condenser and provided with a plurality ofcompartments, each one of which corresponds to a pair of the aforesaid water box compartments, and devices for shutting off the circulating water from tubes corresponding therewith.

2. A surface condenser comprising a shell,- 1

tubeplates at the. ends thereof, banks of tubes secured at their ends in the said tube plates and extending through the said shell, a water box secured at one end of the said shell, partition walls dividing the said water box into pairs of compartments, a cover plate for each. pair of compartments, a slide plate secured at the outer end of each of said compartments, a gate valve movable therein, a rod associated with each gate valve, a wheel secured to each rod exteriorly of'the water box and by which the rod is turned to operate its gate valve, and a water box at the other end of the condenser provided with a plurality of compartments each HERMAN o. HEATON.

. 70 that by closing the gate valves to any pair 

